Fear
by A-S-O-U-E
Summary: The agents have finally defeated KORPS, but of course there is always room for improvement. Stella has set up a "Face Your Fear" course for Dan, Aneisha, Tom, Keri and Frank. The agents have to confront their biggest fear to their superior - nothing too bad about that, right? Well, it's going to be a nightmare, and for some it could literally break their hearts.
1. Chapter 1

**And once again, I'm back. I know I said that I had to focus on school, but I'm getting through it and in my spare time (which is still limited) I'm going to be updating this story. I'm not sure how many of you are actually still a part of this fandom, but if you are it would be great to hear from you, so feel free to PM me. Here's a list of sorrys:  
Sorry for making it another Frella story; I know some of you may be growing sick of them, but they're really the only thing I can enjoy writing and that I can really get into.  
Sorry for anything I've done wrong; haven't been in the game for a quite a while.  
** **Sorry for such a short chapter; still getting used to all of this again.  
And sorry for anything I've written or done to hurt anyone in the past; I was such a pain.  
Thank you for all of your support,  
**  
 **Jasmine xoxo**

The familiar sound of the lift doors opening sounded as four of Britain's top agents stepped through them. Dan, Aneisha, Tom and Keri were once again called for a mission from their leader, Frank London, and Chief Agent, Stella Knight. They walked up to the round, glowing white table in the centre of HQ and looked at Frank and Stella eagerly, who were standing side by side opposite them. After a month of being off duty, the agents were getting back into their normal routine, a part from the fact that KORPS had just been destroyed for good and they've already had a good fill of action to fill a lifetime, but they knew that the world still needed them.

"Agents," Stella started. "You're new mission, I'm sure, is not what you're hoping, but is still at a high importance. This weekend I'll be conducting a 'Face Your Fear' course, and your job is to attend with full focus. This course has been especially put together for this team, so attendance is essential. I'll send the details to your Spypods." The agents groaned loudly, annoyed that they'd one, have to reveal their fear to their superior, and two, have to spend the weekend facing it.

"Frank, do we really have to do this? I mean, I could be spend my weekend doing something more productive, like – "

"Hacking into classified files, Agent Tupper? Well, I'm sorry that I'm disturbing your idea of a perfect weekend. Plus, Frank will be joining you, so there's no point in trying to get out of this one." The junior agents frowned, but couldn't help but snicker first at Frank's utter disappointment.

"There's no use in arguing, agents. Now go back to school." The agents remained still and silently pleaded for Frank to do something about this course, but Stella shooed them off quickly. The four spies entered the lift, mumbling things like, "Is she serious?" And "Why couldn't she just have told us over our communicators?" Frank turned to Stella, knowing full well that there was no use in fighting, but knowing he had to try again.

"Stella, why are you doing this? You know that they're fine agents who, may I remind you, just brought down KORPS in it's entirety." Frank frowned as he saw Stella mentally preparing to take his argument and shatter it into a million pieces.

"I agree. These agents have surpassed all of my expectations, but we need to take it further, Frank, to ensure that they'll improve and that we'll be certain that they can face anything. You need to up your game, too, because you'll never know if you have to go back into the field again," Stella stated sternly, annoyed that Frank still insists to fight this.

"Stella, you and I both know that that will never happen. We both agreed that I'm better as a tech agent."

"What happens if the team get kidnapped? What if they're trapped and there is absolutely no way of getting out? I recall you telling me that a few years ago you used up the last batch of SMARTEASE because every agent was trapped in Himalayas and your team was trapped in an rocket that was about to blow up London. Clearly history has repeated itself several times before, so we're not taking anymore chances, and that is final!" Stella stared him down, knowing full well that Frank wouldn't be able to fight her on this one.

"Fine, but you're making a big mistake including me in this." Stella rolled her eyes discretely and glanced down at her watch and sighed.

"I've got a business meeting to attend to, so I'll send you the details later." Stella turned on her heel and walked towards the M.I.9 tunnels. Frank watched her go, sighing in sorrow. He had lost yet another argument against Stella. Facing his biggest fear that weekend would either make or break his life, but with Stella there, he was sure this wasn't going to turn out well.

His biggest fear was something that could shake him to the core. Of course he's had to face it many times before, but he always got through it because he could rely on his team. But this time, talking to Stella alone? Frank didn't think that she could help him overcome it. No one could. It was something that he had to do himself, but now that Stella was making him attend this course? He knew that everything was going to get a whole lot worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to MiHighLover1 (it's nice to hear from a familiar face) and Cameron for reviewing my story. It's nice to know that I still have some active supporters xx**

The M.I. High team and Frank were waiting in M.I.9 HQ for Stella as they were a few minutes early. Frank had warned them that if they failed to be punctual, Stella would eat them alive, or worse, suspend them. It was 7:30 on a Saturday morning, so it would have been very difficult for Keri to find motivation to get there early, especially when she could be sleeping. Luckily once her alarm clock had gone off, she only needed an hour to feel perky and ready for the day.

The room they were waiting in resembled a gym. The wooden floor had been polished, the walls were made out of bricks and cement, and the roof was solid steel. At each end of the room there was a basketball hoop with a crate full of basketballs to one side. There were ropes and climbing frames attached to the walls that could easily slide out, and there was plenty of space to run around. Dan and Keri started a one-on-one game of basketball while they waited. Tom suddenly got nervous. What if he had to run?

Stella finally made it to the gym, clipboard and pen against her chest, surprised to see them all ready there and waiting. She had a suspicion Frank might've had something to do with it since it was quite early on a Saturday morning, and Keri would have definitely run late, but she let this thought slide. She saw Dan and Keri playing basketball, Tom fiddling with his Spypod, Aneisha taking in the room around them and Frank brushing off his M.I.9 suit and making sure his collar was perfect. Stella smirked; that undercover caretaker job had done him good. Stella cleared her throat and everybody stopped what they were doing to look at her. There was a sudden tension as hearts pounded and blood rushes through the spies' bodies.

"Dan. You're up first," Stella stated. Dan gave her a half smile while he fiddled with the basketball nervously. He inhaled deeply and passed the ball to Keri, who mouthed a good luck to him. He gave her a small smile and walked towards the entrance of the gym. Dan followed Stella out of the door without hesitation and putting on a brave face for the others.

The other spies were nervous about the interrogation, but they didn't dare to talk to each other about it. Instead, they went back to distracting themselves with small activities while they waited for Dan to return.

Dan entered a room with crisp white walls and a black shaggy rug. A clock hung on the opposite wall to the door and there were a few potted plants along the sides. A light brown, wooden desk had been pushed to the side and two basic grey chairs had been spaced apart and placed in the middle of the room to face each other. Overall, the room was fairly bland and basic, which was helpful because Dan had to stay focused.

Stella had gestured for Dan to sit down on a chair while she sat down on the other. She clicked her pen and started to jot some words down on the clipboard. She looked up at Dan with a small smile.

"Daniel Morgan, let's begin, shall we?" Dan gulped; this was going to be intense.

* * *

Dan walked out of that room feeling relieved, and also very nervous. He finally had the chance to tell someone about his biggest fear: clowns. Ever since he was at his friend's birthday and a clown jumped out and made him scream at the top of his lungs, he could never attend a circus or any other of his friend's birthdays, under the age of 12, again. When the M.I. High team asked Keri to describe what the outside of The Mayze looked like back when she first came down to the base and she had said that there was a clown face painted on the wall, he started to feel nervous and he shuddered. But as soon as he found out he wasn't a clown, there was a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Telling Stella about his traumatic experience with clowns was a bit like that, except now he felt a lot better that he told someone. It was very unlike Dan to get so nervous about something as simple as clowns, but everyone has their secrets, and everyone has times when they break down.

Stella gestured for Dan to go back to the gym while she walked behind him. He nodded slightly her way and she cracked a thin smile. Stella clutched the pen and clipboard to her chest, slightly relieved that everything went well. She knew it was going to, but she still had a small feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. Thank goodness that wasn't true.

As they both entered the gym, every agent looked their way, curious to find out what happened to Dan. Dan looked calm and neutral, so the other agents didn't really know what to think from that first impression. Keri walked up to him, basketball still in her hands, and leaned in and whispered some questions while Stella was having a conversation with Frank.

"So… What did she say? What did she ask you? Where did you go? What did you have to – "

"Keri!" Dan's stern whisper shut Keri up immediately.

"It was fine. She asked a few questions, and I told her everything," he said, in response to her questions.

"Told her everything about what?" Keri replied, being cheeky.

"Told her everything abou… Yeah, nice try. You almost got me fooled," he chuckled while Keri pouted jokingly. Tom and Aneisha rushed over while they had the chance.

"What happened?" Aneisha whispered, glancing over at Frank and Stella, hoping she would get an insight as to what was about to happen to her.

"Stella asked a few questions involving my childhood, any serious traumas, stuff like that. It's not as bad as you think," Dan replied, putting on a brave face for his team. The other M.I. High agents shrugged, but they were still nervous. Just as Dan was about to give them more insight, Stella had finished talking to Frank.

"Aneisha, come with me." Aneisha looked at her fellow agents with worry, but they silently assured her that everything would be alright. As she walked past Frank, he laid a hand on her shoulder, and she eased up a little. She gave him a comforting smile and left the room, feeling better about what was about to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been a while. I had my birthday and Christmas is coming up so I've been a bit busy. This chapter focuses on Toneisha because why the heck not? Also they I kinda like writing it, so whatever. It's a little OOC, and it's Toneisha friendship, but a relationship isn't totally out of the question, so stay tuned. Hope you all like it.  
Jasmine xx**

 **P.S Brownie points for whoever picks up the famous Full/Fuller House catchphrase :)**

"Overall, it was surprisingly helpful." Aneisha and Tom had both finished their 'confessions'. They sat side by side on a gym bench and discussed what happened in their confession sessions, even though Stella had told them that everything should remain confidential.

Aneisha had admitted that her biggest fear is spiders. She hated when they had to climb through the old, dusty tunnel between the old KORPS HQ and their current M.I. High HQ. Tom already knew that she hated spiders, but he didn't quite realise how much until after she told him after her confession. She hadn't had a story about why she is traumatised by spiders; she had just always hated them with a fiery passion. Their creepy, fuzzy, tiny little legs scared her so much, and she could just see their beady eyes staring at her everywhere she goes. Of course, it's all in her mind and no other M.I. High agent sees them that way. When she told Tom, he promised that he wouldn't scare her with any spiders (for now), and she was very grateful for that (for now).

Tom was glad when he told Stella that he was deathly afraid of heights. Obviously he was hesitant at first (it's Tom) but Stella wore him down and he finally confessed. He didn't have a story behind his fear either, but every time he has to look out of windows on floors higher than the ground, he would start to shake. This fear also explains why he couldn't stay conscious on The London Eye for his class field trip. Aneisha was also very understanding when he told her about his fear, but when she promised not to push him off of a cliff, she meant she wouldn't for the rest of her life.

"Yeah, I actually feel a really big weight lifted off of my shoulders," Tom replied. Aneisha looked at him funnily.

"Wow, Tom is talking about feelings and emotions. What has happened to the world?" Aneisha dryly told him. Tom sniggered and smiled at her warmly.

"Thanks for letting me talk about this. I really hate talking about my feelings because it makes me feel uncomfortable, but somehow talking to you makes me less uncomfortable, so thank you so much for being such a good friend. That whole KORPS experience made me realise that at any moment we could be gone, and I don't wanna leave knowing that I've shut all of you out and that I couldn't share anything with any one of you, so thank you again. And this is super weird so let's change the topic of conversation now." Aneisha laughed and leant on his shoulder. They both smiled, feeling so very lucky to have such great friends.

"I wonder how Keri's going in there. It doesn't seem like she's afraid of anything, except for the Mastermind, but that's all over," Aneisha pondered.

"Yeah, but then again that's what we thought about Dan, but he obviously has a big fear. He didn't look too good when he came back in," Tom replied.

"Mm, I feel a bit bad for him. He acts all tough on the outside, but I can see through him. He's actually really shaken up about this whole experience," Aneisha explained.

"Yeah… I just hope Keri will be okay. She's been through a lot this past year." Aneisha smiled.

"I didn't know that you felt this way about all of us. It's really sweet how much you care." Tom cringed.

"I think I've had my fill of emotions and feelings for one day. Thank you for this; it's been super weird." Aneisha laughed; she knew that Tom's sincere side wouldn't last too long. She sat up and got up off of the bench and looked down at Tom.

"Do you wanna play a game?" Aneisha asked Tom, and he laughed.

"That's funny, Aneisha. I'll just sit here with my Spypod. I've got something to work on anyway." Aneisha rolled her eyes. _Typical Tom_ , she thought. She ran over to get a basketball and called Dan over. She enjoyed an occasional game of competitive sport, and Dan was the perfect person to verse because he was a challenge. He was very good at sport.

Aneisha glanced over at Tom every now and again. He sat there on the bench happily, fiddling with his Spypod. She smiled and thought about what he said. It was still strange when Tom showed that side because she was so used to him goofing around, playing Blade Quest and eating biscuits. The KORPS experience had changed him a bit, and She thought it was nice. She'd never thought she would see the day, but she was glad that she did because she really liked that side to him. Aneisha valued their friendship, and she was really glad to see that he was growing to be more mature.

Aneisha shook her head and tried to focus on the game, but she couldn't get Tom out of her mind. She loved him as a friend, but was she beginning to have feelings for him? _No,_ she thought, _that's ridiculous. Goodbye, ridiculous thought._ She pushed it out of her head and didn't think about it again. They were amazing friends, and that was that.

Keri came back in with Stella looking a little shy, but it was brushed away as soon as she saw the basketball game going on.

"Hey! You kept going on without me? How rude!" She ran over to Dan and Aneisha and snatched the basketball from Dan's hands. She held the basketball up and flicked it forward, landing in the hoop first try.

"Wow, Summers, half court. Not bad, not bad at all." Dan pursed his lips together and nodded slowly. Keri smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, like you could do any better." Keri went to grab the basketball. Dan scoffed.

"It's on!" Stella watched from afar, shaking her head slightly. These are the teenagers that saved the world.

"Okay, Frank, let's go." Frank was definitely not ready for what was about to happen next. He was doomed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fear – Chapter 4**

Keri glanced at Frank as he exited the room, and she knew that he was definitely not looking forward to this. She held the basketball firmly under one arm and gestured Dan and Aneisha over with the other.

"Guys, Frank is super nervous about this," Keri whispered to the others. Dan just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, no kidding, Keri, we all were," he retorted.

"No, but he's, like, looking a lot worse than we were going in. His face was literally shining with sweat. It was disgusting." Once again, Dan rolled his eyes, but she did have a good point.

"Yeah, he was eyeing Stella like she was going to murder him," Aneisha stated.

"He was also eyeing her for other reasons, if you know what I mean." Both girls laughed and hi-fived each other, and for the third time in less than a minute, Dan's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"But for real, I'm actually worried about him. His fear seems really bad," Keri said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of fears, what was yours?" Keri gulped at Aneisha's question. She was so nervous about revealing it to Stella that she started ranting about the most random topics of conversations, such as an article in the New Yorker about the history of the ladder that she found online, the dorm situation at Johns Hopkins University, and some facts she found in a Sonicare booklet for her razor. Stella felt so bedazzled about those topics that she had to scream as loud as she could so that Keri would shut up. Once Keri had admitted her fear though, she felt a little better and a little less nervous about it all.

"Well, my biggest fear is the ocean. I know, sounds silly, right? I've never been swimming in the ocean because it's just so weird. I mean, all of those animals living in there and using it as a shared bathroom, not to mention all of the people that have drowned. Whenever I go to the beach with my friends and they ask me to swim with them, my excuse every time is that I need to top up on my tan, which is true – seriously, look at how white I am – and it always works, mostly because they agree with me and are silly enough to fall for that excuse every single time we go to the beach. Anyway, I basically shared those reasons with Stella, and she seemed pretty cool about it all, even though I have the most bogus reasons. You know, if she just loosened up a little bit, she could have a real chance of being Frank's girlfriend. She's such a stickler for the rules, and to be honest, whenever I see them together my heart breaks for them because of that protocol or whatever – "

"Okay, Keri, you've gone a little off track." Aneisha silently chuckled, and Keri smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I'm still a bit nervous about this fear thing. Thanks for listening, guys. You're the best." She dropped the basketball and wrapped her arms around the back of their necks, almost holding them in a chokehold. Both Dan and Aneishas' lips pursed and they shook their heads. Typical Keri.

* * *

Frank couldn't stop fidgeting on his chair. He tried to look casual and show that he wasn't nervous at all, but the fidgeting and face full of sweat said it all. If Stella wasn't so uptight and professional, she would've cracked a smile. She still had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from doing so.

After a few tries, Frank finally found a comfortable position to sit in, and Stella stopped biting her bottom lip. She knew that her red lipstick had rubbed off, but she couldn't worry about that now.

"Okay, now we can finally begin." Frank blushed slightly but looked down to hide it.

"So, Frank, what is your biggest fear?" Stella asked. Frank was definitely not ready to answer this question, especially in front of Stella. He leant back on his chair and scratched the back of his neck, which was covered in sweat. Most of the sweat on his face had vanished, but it didn't stop him from sweating literally everywhere else.

"Uh… Well… You see, I um…" Stella raised an eyebrow. Although it had only been a few seconds, she was growing impatient. This was one of Stella's weaker traits.

"Frank, you're going to have to tell me sooner or later, or I'm going to have to get the truth serum. I'm only going to use it if you don't tell me what your fear is, but if you tell me now, I won't have to use it now and get some more information out of you." She smirked slightly, knowing that she had made Frank more nervous. She didn't want to, but it was her job to get the truth out of him.

"I can't tell you." It was as simple as that. Stella furrowed her eyebrows and took a deep breath to calm down. She hated seeing him this stubborn.

"Frank, you're going to have to tell me." Frank started to shake slightly.

"Stella, I'm not telling you for your own good. You're most likely going to hate me for it." That statement got Stella wondering. What could it possibly be?

"Just tell me what it is. My opinion of you won't change," she stated sternly. Frank chuckled, but it wasn't out of humour.

"I highly doubt that." Stella frowned.

"Frank, I'm ordering you right now to answer my question, or so help me there will be serious consequences!" Stella yelled very loudly, and it only made Frank angry.

"I can't do this – to me or to you!" Frank stood quickly and swung open the door.

"Come back here right now, Frank!" Frank stuck his head into the room and stared her down.

"I'm sorry for caring about you and sparing your feelings!" He retorted, and with that he slammed the door and left. She was about to walk out and follow him, but deep down she knew that it would only make matters worse, so she just decided to wait and let him cool off.

Then Stella froze. Did she hear him correctly? Did he just openly admit that he cared for her? And although, yes, that sentence was coated in a thick layer of sarcasm, she knew what he had meant. Frank still cared for her. She was so mad at him for storming out of the room like that, but she knew that she could forgive him, especially after what he said.

Stella stayed put in her chair, trying to hide her smile from the non-existent audience around her. She didn't like showing that she cared, whether it be in her actions or facial expressions. She had been taught that it was a sign of weakness, but she had learnt that she could turn that weakness into strength by having her weakness beside her. Ironic? Maybe, but still true.

Stella also didn't like thinking sappy thoughts, so she set her mind on what she was going to do about Frank. The course she was currently conducting almost slipped her mind, but luckily she remembered that she had to dismiss the agents before she could deal with Frank. His fear couldn't possibly be this bad as to have to storm out of the room, could it? Maybe it's just something he's really afraid to admit, not so much afraid to face, or it's just both. He must be really nervous about admitting it to anyone, especially her.

Stella left for the gym thinking these thoughts, clipboard and pen still clutched against her chest. And even though she focused very hard to keep her head on the job, the thought still slipped into her brain. She clouded her brain with work, and it still managed to slip in.

Frank had openly admitted that he still cared for her. Under the circumstances, what more could she had hoped for?


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. So I've got a lot of news and stuff, so here goes...  
My new nephew was born a couple of weeks ago, so that's exciting :) Also Happy New Year to everyone! That last chapter was kind of like a Christmas gift to you all, and this one is like a New Year's gift, so I hope you like them! I won't be able to update until the end of the month because I'm going up north for a holiday, so this is my last update for a while. I'm really sorry xx And sorry for the cliffy at the end xx Anyway, hope you all have a safe New Year, and I hope that it's going so much better than 2016 :D**

 **Jasmine xx**

Monday rolled around soon enough, much to Frank's dismay. He wished that the weekend would last forever and he didn't have to see Stella, as weekdays are the only days that he and his team get missions, but today she might just speak to the M.I. High team about the 'Face Your Fear' Course. Being reminded of that made him feel like such an idiot – he stormed out of the room like a child and, although it was sarcastic, admitted to her that he still cares about her. That was the first time that either one of them had admitted to each other directly that they cared for one another. And he just had to go and ruin it by storming out of the room because he was too scared to admit his fear in front of her.

What was Stella going to think about Frank now? She probably laughed after he left the room, thinking about how childish it was that he stormed out. She was probably thinking about how pathetic he was when he couldn't tell her what his fear was. Frank hated himself for his actions. It was true that he did still care for her a great deal, in fact he still loved her even more than now than when they both indirectly admitted that to each other a few months ago. They hadn't even talked about that, let alone acted upon it.

Frank felt so stupid. He knew that Stella always had to follow protocol down to the letter, and that included putting the idea of them being together away. Of course she wasn't going to break it because of him. They were both very serious about keeping their jobs, and they didn't want to risk their careers by being in a relationship together. Frank was slightly less serious about it than Stella, because he had his degree to fall back on, and he loved her more than anything or anyone else in the world, but he knew that Stella couldn't take that risk because she had a very high ranking job and she really did not want to lose that.

Frank didn't understand why he couldn't just tell her his fear. It wasn't that big of a deal, but then he thought about all possibilities and then he reconsidered. He knew that this was why he couldn't tell her in the first place. He didn't know what to expect if he did tell her. Would she think that he's just being a baby? Or would she be sympathetic? No way would she be sympathetic; this is Stella that he's talking about. But he also didn't think that she would think he was being _completely_ pathetic; maybe only a little bit. He shook his head and finally thought that all of this thinking is pointless, and just decided not to worry about it and carry on with his day. He couldn't spend the entire day thinking about what might happen, because Frank knew that Stella would most likely go down to the base and talk to the team about the course that occurred on Saturday. And then he started to worry all over again.

* * *

Frank was doomed. Stella just texted to him that she would be down at the base in 5 minutes to talk to the team. He started to worry because she hadn't said any more or any less. Did she even what happened? Of course she did; Frank knew that she basically had the memory of an elephant. He had to call the team down to the base early, just in case that he and Stella were left alone, and then she would start asking question and it would get really messy, and he really didn't want that. Frank called the team, and felt slightly more relieved because he knew that they wouldn't be late.

A couple of minutes later, the four M.I. High agents came forward to the centred table after the lift doors opened. They were wearing their full spy outfits, as usual. Dan, Keri and Aneisha were snickering at something Tom had said in the lift, who was looking very smug. They immediately quietened down as Stella came through the tunnels from M.I.9 HQ. Frank started to feel nervous all over again.

"Good afternoon, agents," Stella greeted them. She walked up to the centred table as well, standing slightly further away from Frank than she usually does.

"So, what's our mission?" Dan asked eagerly. After the 'Face Your Fear' course, Dan was desperate to get back into the field and prove that he's still courageous.

"Actually, you don't have a mission today." The four junior officers groaned, earning them a stern look from Stella.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the 'Face You Fear' course you all attended on Saturday." This caused another groan to occur from the team, and another stern look from Stella.

"That's enough, agents. As I was saying… Well done to you all on admitting your fears; I know it must've been hard, but it was for the greater good. And I also wanted to say that I'm proud of you all. Let's just say that I know how hard it is to let your superior officer know your biggest fear." The team were surprised at Stella's kind words, but Frank just frowned. He didn't remember her having to do anything like that back when they were field agents. Then he realised that she was talking about him, because Frank knew that Stella knew him well enough to know what he's thinking. He was definitely doomed.

"So then you won't mind telling us what your biggest fear is then?" Tom raised his eyebrows and smirked. The junior agents thought that Stella was talking about herself, when she was really talking about Frank. The other agents giggled, while Stella frowned and Frank fixed his tie, as he always does when he gets nervous.

"Tom, it's unprofessional to ask a superior officer about their personal life," Frank informed him, sticking up for himself without them knowing it. Tom discretely rolled his eyes, but Frank saw as gave him a look.

"So then what was your fear, Frank?" Keri asked. Dan looked at her and frowned.

"Keri, he's our superior officer as well," Dan said, making her feeling stupid.

"Oh, right…" Keri blushed while everyone else laughed, even Frank found it a little amusing even though he was nervous to answer that question, but Stella couldn't take their immaturity anymore.

"Agents, you're dismissed." That was the only thing that Stella could think of on short notice to get them out of the base. Once the four students had walked into the lift and the doors had closed, Stella turned to face Frank. _Oh boy,_ he thought, _here we go…_

 **Hope to read some reviews when I get back :) xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings everyone! Sorry about my inactivity. As you know I went on holiday for 3 weeks, then got home and had camp the next day, and then I had the first day of school, and everyone knows how school is. First week and BAM, homework. Also I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter, so that's another excuse to add to the list. But I got this chapter done, so please forgive me. Thanks for reading everyone xx**

 **Jasmine xoxo  
**

"Look, Frank, I – "

"Stella, just please let me talk for a second. I'm sorry I stormed off the other day; it was highly unprofessional of me. I don't know what came over me." Frank sighed, feeling slightly relieved.

"Frank, it's okay. It's all my fault, really. I pushed too hard, and I think you just snapped. I'm sorry as well."

"It's fine, you were just doing what was best for the team and for M.I.9." Frank smiled at her, and she thinly smiled back at him.

"But just out of curiosity, what was your fear? It must have been pretty big for you to storm out like that. I mean, I have almost never seen you behave in such a way." Frank sighed again, but this time it wasn't relief; in fact, it was the complete opposite.

"It's all over now, so you don't need to know. And I know that you would like to because you would like to help me overcome it, but I guarantee that won't help."

"Okay, I understand." Stella reached for her blazer and took something out of it, and before Frank could say anything, she stuck it into the side of Frank's upper arm, holding it in her grip tightly. Frank's eyes widened and half closed in a flash as he felt the sharp pain in his arm. He stared at the object blankly and looked at Stella, who was slightly regretting was she had done, and her grip had started to slip

Before it could drop to the floor, Frank looked back at his arm and caught the object. He had pulled out of his arm a needle full of the truth serum OX519. He brought the needle down to his other side, and smashed it down onto the table. Stella's eyes widened in shock, even though she was the one to blame for all of this.

"How could you stoop so low to find out my fear that you stuck truth serum in my arm?" Frank was beyond angry. This was very unlike Stella – to be so nosy that she resorted to almost illegal actions.

"And it won't work anyway! I've been inoculated against OX519, a policy which Stark implemented, and one that you never terminated! You are unbelievable. I thought that we put this behind us, and wouldn't talk about it again. You've sunk to a new low, Stella. You are relentless and manipulative. What have you become? The Stella I knew – "

" – Would have resorted to this, but didn't because you told her everything!" Stella wailed. Frank was shocked and disappointed at the woman that stood before him. She was not the same as she was a couple of days ago, let alone 11 years ago. And although he felt these feelings, he couldn't help also feeling guilty when he saw the look on her face.

"I know that my place is that I'm supposed to find out on behalf of your team and M.I.9, but the truth is that there is a bigger reason. I know that your fear is about me, and you know that I'm right. Frank, I've known you for a very long time, I could see it in your eyes, I could hear it in your voice that it had something to do with me. I've been especially trained to notice these types of things, and I don't think that you were kidding yourself when you thought that you could hide it from me any longer. So for M.I.9, your team, and especially for me, just tell me what it is. Please, just tell me." Stella stood there in front of him, unable to look into his eyes any longer. Her head hung slightly and her eyes dropped towards the ground. She had never looked so vulnerable. She had never sounded so vulnerable. Frank wasn't shocked at her manipulativeness anymore; he was shocked at her vulnerability.

"Stella, I – I'm really sorry for not telling. I just couldn't. Partly because of the protocol, and partly because I was just scared. I was scared of what you would say if I told you that my biggest fear is…" He gulped and took a deep breath, "…is losing you. Stella, my biggest fear is ever losing you again. And I know that there are so much bigger things out there, like criminals, or falling, or even death, but when you're there beside me, I feel like I can face anything. But if I lose you, then I don't know what would happen. So I just need you to be in my life, even if we can't be together. But I don't know if I can take it anymore." Before Stella could respond, he leant in and kissed her. She loved that he did that, but she started having mixed feelings about everything. Frank was right: she was becoming relentless and manipulative, and she didn't want to hurt Frank anymore. She pulled away and looked at her feet, almost in tears. She needed some time to think, and she couldn't tell Frank now.

"Stella? Stella, talk to me." It wasn't a question, but Stella wouldn't answer anyway. She walked off into the lift, not daring to let Frank see her in this state. When the doors had almost closed, she looked up and stared into Frank's eyes. As soon as he saw the tears in her eyes, he knew that it was all over.


	7. Chapter 7

**Done and done. Chapter's ready to go. Disclaimer: Not my lyrics. All creds to the composers. Thank you for supporting me, my lovely readers!  
Jasmine xx**

Stella sat at her office desk with her head in her hands. She had disabled the security cameras in her office and she had locked the doors; she hated people seeing her cry. She hated it so much when she let Frank see the tears in her eyes. Frank hadn't seen her cry for years, and even then she had been quite strong. She had matured quite a lot since the end of the KORPS assault. She had learned to stay strong in tough situations, to not let her personal feelings influence her professional behaviour, and to not let herself fall for Frank all over again. All of these rules she had broken within 24 hours. She had started crying in front of someone, she stuck a truth serum needle into Frank's arm for her own personal gain, but the last one had been too far gone. As soon as she was told that they were working together again, and Stella saw him for the first time, she had fallen for him all over again. It was the last thing that she had wanted to do, but she knew that she couldn't withhold her feelings for him.

MAGIC!'s 'No Regrets' had been stirring in her head all afternoon. Listening to Frank speak like he had, it reminded her of this song. She can always imagine him singing this to her, but the lyrics really stood out to her.

 _The world isn't over yet_

 _We've still got a chance to place our bets_

 _We both made a little mess_

 _Nothing our two hearts can't put back_

These lyrics remind her of the KORPS assault. It's like he's saying to her that everything could be repaired and well again just like that, but she knew that it couldn't be true. 11 years later it still hurt.

 _I'll never love you less_

Tears started to well up in her eyes again. Even after she dumped him right after the KORPS assault, he still loved her. She knew that he still loved her, because that's just the person that Frank is. They admitted indirectly that they both still love each other at the second Mata Hari test. She never stopped loving him, not even any less.

 _Don't let your worries second guess_

Her worries were more severe than those intended in the song. She would put her job and her career on the line for a relationship with a man she had fallen out with 11 years prior. She loved her work, and she could still see him everyday, but for her it wasn't enough. She was worried that she would lose it all.

 _We'll start over fresh_

 _Living a life with no regrets_

And that's the thing. If she gave up everything for Frank, she wouldn't be able to let go that easily. She couldn't just 'start over fresh' and find another career. She loved what she did and what she had, but she loved what she wanted, too. She wouldn't know if she would regret it, because being with Frank is what she wanted, but what else would that mean? If she was with him, he would be the only thing that Stella had left.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't give up a job which she loved and all the hard work that she put into it for a man that she just ran out on. She couldn't just make a decision like that. If the circumstances were different and there was no relationship protocol, or if she had a chance at fighting her superiors on it, she would go for it. But she couldn't, and he knew that she couldn't, too, but that didn't stop him from banging on her door.

Stella jumped in her chair. She was praying and hoping that it wasn't Frank knocking at the door. Nevertheless, she started to use her tissues to wipe her eyes. She stood up and straightened out her skirt and blazer, and walked to the door. She turned the lock, and opened the door to see no one else but Frank.

She still couldn't look him straight in the eye, but gestured for him to come into her office, anyway. He walked in and leant on her desk as she shut and locked the door behind her. She turns to face him, feeling slightly nervous.

"Frank, I don't want to talk about it," she stated. Frank sighed.

"Yeah, and I haven't heard that one before." Stella looked down; she had rejected him so many times. She knew that he was becoming sick of it, but she wouldn't risk her position or her career for a personal relationship.

"Frank, you know that I can't – "

"Stella, you're just scared. You're just scared that a relationship with me isn't worth losing your career over. Of course I understand, but you have a fairly high position here at M.I.9. I can't see why you can't negotiate a compromise with the Head." Out of all of the silly things Stella could have missed, this was by far the biggest.

"You know, I never – "

"And that kiss down in HQ wasn't nothing. You felt something, I know you did, because I did, too. You don't regret it, Stella, you're just scared of the consequences." Stella started to walk over to Frank and stood in front of him, planting her feet firmly into the ground.

"I guess – "

"And that's your biggest fear at the moment - it's coming to terms with the fact that you still love me, you can't admit it and you're deathly afraid of the consequences, although you easily quality in any other profession." The air was thick with tension. The room stood silence for a while. Stella was processing was Frank had just pointed out to her.

"I think – "

"And another thing – "

"Frank! Shut it! Where did all of this confidence come from? You would have never spoken to me like this ever." She was spellbound at his sudden outbursts and how he was constantly interrupting her.

"I'd never had this confidence before because the woman that I love had kissed me not twenty-four hours ago, and we weren't close to death or even near a deadly situation. That couple of seconds of closure gave me the confidence to say this to you. Of course I knew that the mixed signals were you just conflicting between me and your job. I can read you like the back of my hand." Stella inched closer to him who was still leaning on her desk.

"Frank, I just can't. You know that I can't. Being an M.I.9 agent is the job I love. I love that I can protect the world from crime. I can't fight love with love. It's not who I am." Their faces were only centimetres away from each, and a smirk rested upon Frank's face.

"Will this change your mind?" Frank moved in close until there was no space between them. He stood from the desk, sliding his arms around her. Stella's hand found its way to the back of Frank's neck and started to play with Frank's hair. Her other hand pulled him in closer. They never wanted to let each other go.

Stella was always very headstrong, and she never let her business mix with her personal, except when Steinburg almost took Zoe's mind, when KORPS attacked the world, the past few days… So maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was. Frank was her weakness. Consequences to her actions was her fear. But Stella ended up building her biggest weakness into her biggest strength, and suddenly, she wasn't afraid anymore. With Frank by her side, what did she have to fear?

 **Final chapter, everybody! Hope you all enjoyed the story. I didn't feel like I needed to keep going otherwise it would have been more repetitive than it already it. Don't worry, I've got some more ideas to come. If anyone has any suggestions of what they would want me to write for the future, don't hesitate to ask me at all! I love getting new ideas! Please PM me, or if you're a guest, leave a review below. I promise this won't be the last of me ;) Again, I hope you all enjoyed the story! Thank again my lovely supporters xx  
Jasmine xx**


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